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Former President Bill Clinton and Al From.
Reuters

The Democratic Leadership Council — a group of centrists that dominated politics during the Clinton presidency but is laboring to remain relevant in the Obama era — is on the brink of a major shake-up.

Al From, the DLC’s founder and leader since its creation 24 years ago this month, said he plans to step down within the next couple of months, handing the chief executive reins to his longtime protégé, Bruce Reed.

At the same time, the Progressive Policy Institute, an influential think tank closely affiliated with the DLC, will soon part ways with the council. Will Marshall, who heads the think tank, said the recent Democratic electoral gains and a massive new agenda being pushed by the Obama administration “require us to think anew.”

The upheaval at the DLC is a striking sign of the political times. Under From, the group was always controversial — making its name during the ’80s and ’90s with stark warnings that traditional, interest-group liberals were threatening to turn the Democratic Party into a permanent minority party.

The DLC’s apogee came when one of its chairmen, none other than Bill Clinton, ascended to the White House, bringing Reed to the West Wing and enacting free-trade agreements, anti-crime laws and, above all, welfare reform — all pillars of a "new Democrat" agenda.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson once derided the group as “Democrats for the Leisure Class.” As recently as 2004, then-presidential candidate Howard Dean said the DLC, with whom he clashed over the group’s backing of the Iraq war and other issues, was “the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.” The liberal Daily Kos blog once vowed to “make the DLC radioactive.”

From always relished the conflicts. Lately, though, the challenge has not been high-profile intramural quarrels so much as obscurity. Barack Obama ascended to the presidency without much debate over whether he was a “new” or “old” Democrat and did not seem much interested in the DLC — spurning the precedent of Clinton and other candidates and not appearing before the group’s annual conventions.

Reed, a close friend of and one-time co-author with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, said he plans to run a leaner organization focused less on internal party battles and more on “post-partisan” policy ideas.

“We want to get out of the political advice business and focus on the ideas that will help the [Obama] administration succeed,” Reed said.

From called this new focus appropriate. The reason the old Clinton era battles in which the DLC specialized may seem obsolete, From contended, is that his side won.

When the group was founded, drawing its membership largely from disaffected Southern Democrats appalled by Walter F. Mondale’s losing 1984 campaign, From said he believed “the Democratic Party had become disconnected” from middle-class voters “who went to work every day and played by the rules.”

The end of capitalism is the direct objective of the rat National-Socialists . Look for a massive Obama war in Afghanistan as a diversion and misdirection . The anti-Rush Limbaugh hysteria is in its fourth or fith edition and it is always good for a head fake .

"The upheaval at the DLC is a striking sign of the political times. Under From, the group was always controversial—making its name during the 1980s and ‘90s with stark warnings that traditional, interest-group liberals were threatening to turn the Democratic Party into a permanent minority party."

This about says it all. I really see the Obama Admin taking down the entire Dem Party. Obama is a rookie wildly running our nation into the ground. The list of Dems apposed to his radical agenda is growing daily.

As the Democratic party unifies and leaves side agendas, the Republican party is dividing and faltering.

Guess timing is everything.

Obama is proving President for all.

Classic example of the overreaching left. I knew they would overreach, but I don't think anyone expected the push to the far left to be this radical. What you are seeing with the death of the DLC is what will drive the center even farther right again. The liberal agenda has never been excepted by the majority of the country. Bad short term news, good long term news. Come on Blue Dogs, step up.

The moderate democrats have sold their souls to ultra liberal mentality. To say that Obama is a socialist is going "lite". Obama is REALLY a communist in disguise, and he strives to end the American civilization as we know it now.

We're already there I'm affraid. I'm just shocked there is still 1 soul willing to show there support for this rookie. Rush wants Obama's Socialistic policies to fail!!! Guess what Rush, they already have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!